Deans of CHS/SOP
Dr. C. Scott Kruse is the dean of the College of Health Sciences. Prior to his appointment as dean, Dr. Kruse served as the Associate Dean of the College of Health Professions and Professor of Health Administration at Texas State University.
Dr. Kruse holds a Ph.D. in health-related sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University; master’s degrees in healthcare administration, business and information technology from Baylor University and The University of Texas at San Antonio; and a bachelor’s degree in engineering psychology from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His academic research and teaching have emphasized the application of technology in healthcare.
Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Kruse served in the U.S. Army in a range of leadership roles, achieving the rank of major and taking on intelligence, technology and healthcare management responsibilities.
Dr. José O. Rivera, PharmD, founding dean of the new School of Pharmacy (SOP) at UTEP, is a highly qualified leader in pharmacy education and practice, with over 35 years of both pharmacy practice and pharmacy education experience. Prior to his appointment as founding dean in 2015, Dr. Rivera was the director of the UTEP Cooperative Pharmacy Program (CPP) with UT Austin.
Dr. Rivera completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy at the Universidad de Puerto Rico in 1976, a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1979 at the University of Kentucky, and a clinical pharmacy residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He subsequently held assistant professor positions at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, and The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, as well as a clinical associate professor and clinical professor positions with the UTEP CPP. He has also held adjunct faculty positions with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso since 2001.
Dr. Rivera has made a number of notable scientific contributions in the areas of cultural competency, alternative herbal treatments, antibiotic resistance, and the pharmacotherapy of infectious diseases, and has been awarded numerous grants for research on effective medication management and health literacy. Additionally, Dr. Rivera has been the UTEP project investigator for a grant program from the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration supporting the UT Austin College of Pharmacy Hispanic Center of Excellence. Dr. Rivera’s contributions to research have been recognized by the UTEP Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship and the UTEP Faculty Research Award.
